The Cave of Two More Lovers
by ayziks
Summary: Korra decides that as the new Avatar she must tour the world since she is "everyone's Avatar". Her boyfriend Mako goes with her, and they are inexplicably drawn to a side trip to rediscover the Cave of the Two Lovers found by Aang and Katara 70 years before, where they rediscover much more together than a tomb and glowing crystals. Korra property of Nickelodeon.
1. Chapter 1 - Practice

**Title: **"The Cave of Two More Lovers" (T – Makorra romance) Chapter 2  
**Author/Artist:** ayziks (fiction), Deviant Art artist awkwardsauce (editing, illustrations)  
**Rating:** T for strong romantic scenes  
**Summary/Notes: **My close friend and excellent artist **awkwardsauce** and I have teamed together again for a another "adventure and romance" picture and fiction (pic and fic) collaboration. Korra decides that as the new Avatar she must tour the world since she is "everyone's Avatar". Her boyfriend Mako goes with her, and at the beginning of their journey together they are inexplicably drawn to a side trip to rediscover the Cave of the Two Lovers found by Aang and Katara 70 years before, where they rediscover much more together than a tomb and glowing crystals.

Please go to Deviant Art to find awkwardsauce's great art that accompanies several of the chapters. I will try to post them here.

...

**Chapter 1 - Practice**

Korra was suspended at an impressive height above the air bending practice field, atop a whirling air vortex. Tenzin had to admit it was as tall as anything he had ever attempted. She eased down to the ground gently, with the finesse of someone who had air bent for years.

She bowed then pumped the air emphatically, "Woo hoo!"

"I am not sure that was the correct closing phrase, Korra," said Tenzin with a fake glum expression, which changed to a broad smile, "But that certainly is the way to describe it."

He praised her further, "You have completely taken to air bending Korra, after both of us wondered if you were ever going to learn it at all."

"Well Tenzin, it's simple. When all seemed lost, I found my air bending to defeat Amon and to see me through a very rough time. I am still convinced that the connection between air bending and Aang allowed me to reach him – as you always said; air bending is the most spiritual discipline. I am forever grateful that air bending came to me at just the time when I needed it most."

"Besides, the scientists say that air and water are both fluids. You know I can do a waterspout, so an air vortex is really no different."

"A wise observation," said Tenzin, who really hadn't thought of it that way before."Well let's see what else you have accomplished today."

She fired off a series of vertical and horizontal air slices. They were intense, and the vertical ones cut flowers off the rose bushes. She also tried several powerful air thrusts, one of which caught an unwary White Lotus sentry off guard and sprawled him to the tiles.

Korra said sheepishly,"Oops...sorry..."

Then she created an air scooter, mounted it, and went a few yards. It quickly disintegrated. She plopped unceremoniously on the practice grounds, and spun splay-legged for a few yards.

She laughed even though she was embarrassed, "Well...I guess I don't have _that _figured out yet.

"Nice try, though Korra, keep at it. But a caution – remember that air bending is supposed to defensive," chuckled Tenzin.

Korra smirked, "Uh, Tenzin, what about that mech-tank you launched _two buildings _away, hmm?"

Tenzin turned a bit red and got all flustered, "Well, Korra, _that_...ah...was different. Technically, it attacked first."

"Um-hmmm. Yeah. Right. OK, next I want you to test me in echo location that Lin has been teaching me."

She removed her boots and socks, and stood barefooted.

She pulled a rag out of her pockets, "Here, Tenzin, tie this blindfold around me...now spin me."

She stopped, rooted her feet on the tile, raised one leg, and stomped her foot on the ground. She listened, and waited. In her mind's eye, the ghostly image of everything on the island appeared to her.

Tenzin then asked Korra for information on directions of the building of the temple, where people were going and doing, and how many guards were in the watch towers. Everything she said was correct.

Korra smiled and asked Tenzin, "And aren't you going to ask me who who just climbed the staircase from the pier?"

She felt the familiar heartbeat of Mako, who just arrived from his shift at the power plant and training class at the police academy. She tore off her blindfold, and ran full speed to him, and in their signature greeting, leaped at him. He caught her and twirled her as they kissed.

"Home for dinner, I see?" as she pecked him again. Pema's cooking is a stronger draw than me, huh, City Boy?"

"As a matter of fact, yes it is, when you're famished."

She jabbed him playfully.

She give him her best little girl look, and said, "before we go to dinner, I want to practice my lighting bending."

"I dunno, Korra, I've been lighting bending most of the day, and I'm tired and hungry."

She batted those blue eyes at her lover.

He could never refuse her when she did that, "Well, OK."

Tenzin observed, "Korra you seem impatient today. I thought you learned that lesson already."

Korra was about to retort when Mako stated, "No Tenzin, It's OK, I can practice with her."

Mako had taught her the new, fast-reaction/no-wind-up style of lightning bending that he used to escape Amon's blood bending grip and to save the Air Family at the Rally. Tenzin was a little reluctant to part with the traditional method of the deliberate wind up, but let it go. That new way had saved him and his family from being debent at Amon's Rally.

So the couple stood in parallel, and she practiced the upward and outward two fingered thrust that was the key movement in this technique. After several dry runs and several subtle corrections, they went for it. Twin bolts of electricity blasted into the late afternoon skies over Yue Bay, with a huge peal of thunder. It was so loud that the dock workers on the other side of the bay turned and looked at the twin discharges.

They could hear a baby's cry from his nursery. "Uh oh," muttered both. What was done was done, so they continued.

"Now, Mako. Let me practice my lighting deflection technique. She stood in the proper defensive stance, "Shoot me!"

Mako stood aghast and looked to Tenzin to do something.

"No! I _forbid _it! We can't afford to lose you." chastised Tenzin.

"I _have _to learn this, Tenzin. Would you rather someone who loves me shoot a mild bolt at me to deflect, or take my chances with an enemy at full power and no mercy?"

Tenzin tried to say something more, but she interrupted. She turned back to Mako, took her deflection stance, narrowed her eyes at him, and ordered, "I said, _shoot me._"

Mako fretted again, "Korra, I love you. I can't shoot lightning at you. No one here can heal you. Besides, there is really no such thing as a mild bolt."

"No one will need to heal me. I will get this. I've done all the practice. And I know you are one of the few who can throttle your intensity."

Mako looked to Tenzin, who just shrugged, and knew it was a lost cause to change her mind.

"O...K...well let's try this. Don't come crying to me when you're dead, Korra," scolded Mako.

Korra mocked him back, "Hey, then you will go down in history as the person who killed the new Avatar. Maybe you can get a date with the next Avatar."

Mako shook his head, "Oh great, _just _what I wanted to hear. I can see the newspaper headlines, 'Avatar's boyfriend kills Avatar in lovers' quarrel.' Oh, and with my luck, your successor will be a big burly bald Earth Bender."

But both men knew there was no deterring this Avatar. So Korra and Mako faced each other a hundred feet apart. Mako said a rare prayer to the spirits that he would not kill the love of his life.

"Ready?"

"I am." She ground her feet into the tiles deeper.

"OK, here goes."

He performed the bolt-generating move as conservatively as he could, but still a big bolt issued forth, and headed straight for Korra. She caught it, and he could see her process it through her stomach just like she should, and then she shot it straight out over the ocean. There was more thunder, but not as loud. Tenzin and Mako both started to breathe again.

He rushed to her and hugged her, "You _did_ it!" then he scolded, "But don't _ever _ask me to do that ever again."

They all headed to the house, still hearing the baby cry even louder, and knowing the angry housewife they would soon face was going to be more deadly than any lightning bolt either could generate.

...

As they entered the Air Family's household, a stern look came from Pema, clutching and comforting the still crying baby. Her eyes were narrowed and lip jutted forward, as she growled, "And who...exactly...was lightning bending out there just _after _I got Rohan to take nap?"

The pair gave Pema an embarrassed look, "Um...we were." As if Pema didn't know. None of the fire bending White Lotus guards were lightning benders.

And shot a meaner glance to Tenzin, "And who _let _them lightning bend in the first place?"

Tenzin blushed and rolled his eyes.

With the dressing down over, Pema's look softened, "That's all right dears, dinner is served. Here Tenzin, _you _comfort your son," and she handed the screaming child to her husband who started to settle him down, which he did with great care as always.

Despite the ragged start, dinner was happy and very animated. Korra seemed so very chipper, and didn't sit even an inch away from Mako. Bolin and Tenzin's kids filled out the table with Tenzin and Pema.

Then Korra got very serious, and held Mako's hand.

She announced, "I love all of you, but now that I am a fully realized Avatar, I know I have a lot of very important things to do. I can never forget Tarrlok threatening all those innocent non-benders who turned to me for help and said, 'You're our Avatar too'. Well I _am_ their Avatar. I am the whole _World's _Avatar, not just Republic City's."

Korra continued, "So I've made a decision. I need to travel the world and meet people as the new Avatar, like Aang did. And soon."

Ikki and Bolin burst into tears, and Jinora became sullen. Mako was taken aback, and everyone was surprised except Tenzin. There were instantly six simultaneous arguments for her not to leave. She silenced them all.

Korra asked Tenzin, "What do _you _think?"

In the classic style of the Air Nation Sifu, he said softly, "You need to go and do what you think is best."

Mako got up from the dinner table and took her by the hand, "We need to talk. Privately."

They walked quickly and silently to a bench just outside the meditation garden, and Mako said somewhat angrily, "Korra, why didn't you talk to me about this first? This...this is such a surprise. I have a job, and training for another..."

"I'm sorry, Mako. This just came to me today like a ton of bricks after meditating. I am not so sure that leaving is totally my idea. My spiritual connections are still not what they should be."

"You're not going without me. I can put things on hold for you."

They hugged realizing the sacrifice he was making just for her. He asked gently, "So...where are we going?"

"Well, first we cross over the United Republic southern border and into the Earth Kingdom, starting at Omashu, then we go on to see the Earth King at Ba Sing Se. Next we travel south to Kyoshi Island, and go home to the Southern Water Tribe for awhile, for their annual festival. I hope our New Team Avatar can visit us there at the Festival. After that, I need to see the Southern Air Temple to visit the Air Acolytes restoring the Temple there, and then go to the Fire Nation and Northern Water tribe."

"That could take months, and what about Bolin? I am not sure I can leave him that long. We've never really been apart."

"We could bring him with us. I know how close you are."

"That's really nice of you, Korra. I love both of you. I'll talk with him, but I think he'll understand this is a journey only you and I can make together. He wants to try his way without me for awhile anyway. Bolin is part of a great family now. Tenzin's kids love him to death. And this way I would see the world with you."

She ran her hands through his hair and played with his scarf, "Then it's decided, we go together."

He said happily and with purpose, gripping Korra by both shoulders, "Yes, my dear. When do we leave?

"How about tomorrow?"

"Wow. Well OK. What to pack then?"

"We have to pack light since we'll take Naga. I will tell you this one thing for sure City Boy, just pack one tent and one sleeping bag. The big one."

"Oh," he unexpectedly blushed.

She then laced her arms around his waist and pulled him tight up against her lower body, tight enough to elicit a response from him that she felt grow stronger, "Let's go out to the garden for awhile. You know the place."

"All too well," but before they strolled to their private place, he took a long drink of her full lips, and let his hands slide gently along the front of her tunic, stopping along the way, and she leaned into those touches.


	2. Chapter 2 - Preparation

**Chapter 2 - Preparation**

They left to a small fanfare of family and well wishers. But as they made their way south through the Republic, considerable praise and celebration was heaped on her as 'their Avatar who saved them by sacrificing herself'.

_"Who knew that the loss of my bending at the hands of Amon - like so many others - would build me up stronger in the people's' eyes?" _she reflected humbly.

It was pretty uneventful the first couple of days past the border of the United Republic and safely inside Earth Kingdom territory.

Unlike Aang and his friends, who had to travel covertly all the time and often at night in their own first year of being the Avatar, Korra could travel openly in public, to the continued adulation of all the common people – benders and non benders – who saw her as restoring the dream and building on it.

That was an important boost to her often fragile ego in her first few months in Republic City. People saw her new ability of restorative energy bending as something superior to the skills Avatar Aang possessed. While humility was a key part of being Avatar, something about that kind of praise helped her feel better privately. Only Mako could know that.

She brought a pocket version of 'Katara's War Journals' – Katara's stories about her travels with Aang, and her commentary and testimony on the War to end all wars. As they got closer to Omashu, she read Katara's commentary aloud:

**_"'When we travelled through the 'secret tunnel' to Omashu with the Earth Kingdom nomads to escape the main road to the city blocked by the Fire Nation, the road got narrower, and the canyons rose up above us in the rugged ranges. Appa hated confined spaces, and got increasingly agitated, especially inside the tunnel and caves. By getting trapped inside, due to the cave-in caused by Appa's panic, it allowed Aang and me to find Oma and Shu's tomb, to learn the legend of them being the first earth benders, and to learn to 'trust in love' – the beginnings of our own love - to get us out safely. A personal benefit of being lost inside the tunnel led to our first kiss, which I am happy to say I initiated.'"_**

Korra looked at Mako after the reading, "Aww...Mako, that is so romantic."

Mako scoffed, "Yeah, but theirs was a little tiny first-time smooch. Nothing compared to ours."

"Yeah..." she said dreamily.

She stopped and looked around. That is exactly where they were. A sign pointed toward the Oma and Shu Lovers Memorial.

"Wait! Mako. We're really on the road to the Memorial to the Two Lovers. Let's go see! I feel like I know this story."

Mako wasn't sure he was in the mood for sightseeing, but like a good boyfriend, he went along with her desires.

When they got there, it wasn't much to look at. This end of the tunnel, closest to the city itself, was a pile of rubble now, unlike the ornately carved exit described by Katara's journal. A cave-in was caused by the constant activity of the badger moles and especially by the two extra exit tunnels made by the badger moles as Sokka and the nomads emerged from the mountains. The cave-in destroyed this end of the tunnel about fifty-five years ago. The rock engraving with the lovers names 'Oma Shu' was only partially intact over the original opening.

The memorial plaque in front of the ruined exit said that the entrance of the tunnel on the other side of the mountain was so thoroughly demolished by the Fire Nation tanks, that no trace of that end has ever been found since Katara, Aang, Sokka, and the nomads made the journey seventy years ago. Out of deference to the deceased couple and the curse, no one really tried.

"The _curse?"_ Mako asked.

"Oh yeah, if you don't follow true love's guidance, you will become lost in the tunnels forever."

Mako raised an eyebrow, "Well then, Korra, I'd rather we start on our way to Omashu itself."

She held him back, "Not so fast, bub. Wouldn't you like to retrace Katara and Aang's journey? It only took them two days. We won't be here forever. After all he is me, and we are young lovers just like Aang and Katara was well as Oma and Shu. We already trust in love. How hard can this be? Wouldn't you like to be known as the discoverer of the lost entrance?"

"I am not so big on that 'curse' thing," complained Mako.

She nudged him, "_Wimp._ Where's your sense of adventure?"

Mako retorted, "I'm with Aang's sky bison Appa. I like my adventures to be outside of ever shifting caves created by monster beasts with three foot claws. Not to mention the wolf bats. Weren't the _human_ Wolf Bats we faced in the Arena with _no_ fangs and claws _enough_ adventure for you?"

She snuggled up to his side, deliberately letting her bosom rub his arm, and in a deliberately sweetsy sing-song voice, she cooed, "I'll make it worth your while if you go with me. I know you like kissing in the dark."

She had him there.

"All right. But if we get lost forever, love or no love, Tenzin is gonna be _really_ upset with us."

Before they began the search for the lost entrance, she looked at Naga, "Naga, we're going to go find a big cave and take a hike. When we get started we need you to come right back here and wait for us. OK?"

Naga growled 'yes'.

Going over and around the mountain was a lot tougher than going through it, but at least no one was hurling flaming balls of fire at them, which Katara's Journal explained was the real reason they had to go underground.

They spent a day exploring every dead end box canyon that would appear to have an entrance at the end, as the Journal explained that they had found. Mako's patience for a side trip was about over. The only benefit was a loving embrace before sleeping under a sky full of wondrous stars. The air at altitude was cool, dry, and crisp, so snuggling together in one sleeping bag with their clothes in a nice pile to the side of the bag. Combined with a little body temperature elevation from their joint fire bending, it was quite cozy for them. Doing that back home on cool nights with the windows open in her room was an idea they took with them. Tenzin wouldn' have to know.

They had just about run out of options the next morning, when Korra stopped, and cocked her head to the side. She stumbled a bit and Mako steadied her. He knew she was seeing something he wasn't. A sepia-toned picture appeared in her head of a canyon, with the nomads, a very young Katara and her brother in the foreground. Directly ahead in this view was the tunnel entrance on the far right end of the box canyon. It was clearly Aang's past life experience. She'd been here before.

Her view was as Aang's eyes saw it. That was the major difference in Korra's spirit journeys versus Aang's. Most of the time she saw things from his past vision as things that happened then. Aang normally got images in bluish grays or full color, but accompanied by Roku or other spirits who talked to him. There wasn't anything wrong with the way Aang revealed things to her, it was just different, and she had to think harder with no one to help her most of the time. Maybe that was the point - to make her think and learn, rather than be handed past-life experiences on a silver platter. At least that was Tenzin's theory when they discussed the subject.

The vision vanished, and she was staring straight ahead. The scenes matched, except for the tunnel entrance.

Mako was worried, "Korra? You were gone for a few moments. What did you see?"

He was still not used to her visitations by spirits. That was going to take awhile. Unlike Katara, he was not a student of Avatar history from childhood onward.

Korra was still internalizing the vision and reality, "Thank you, Mako. It's OK now. I...I saw the entrance. Down there at the end and on the right."

They traveled to the end, and sure enough, there was some evidence of a rock slide from very long ago. She started moving boulders, and slowly a stable way in appeared. She stopped and smiled, when she found the capstone rock with 'Oma Shu' carved into it.

They held both of each other's hands and turned face to face, "Are you ready, Mako?"

She shooed Naga off back to the exit at the far end. It was clear Naga understood, and trotted off.

"I guess so. Tell me again about this curse as we go, and how 'love will find a way'?"

They laughed as they crawled on their hands and knees through the partially cleared but safe entrance. The day packs they wore were almost too big to fit through what she had cleared.

On the other side inside the cave, it was clear it would be pitch black. They stood up, and held hands. Both instinctively lit small flames that they held in the palms of their hands. They could see rows of statues flanking either side of the tunnel entrance.

"This is one advantage we have," noted Mako, "Katara was only a water bender, and Aang hadn't learned fire bending, so they were totally dependent on the torches that ran out."

Korra added, "Katara's Journal isn't really clear on what happened on that, since it was so personal between them at the kiss, and she wanted to protect the real secret of the tunnel. It only said they did find their way out, and it was obvious after the kiss."

"'Let love find a way', Korra, and maybe we'll find out like they did," joked Mako, and they started off on their trek.


	3. Chapter 3 - Discovery

**With Chapter 3, I'd like you to look at Deviant Artist awkwardsauce's accompanying art, the first of several 'pic and fic' illustrations from her! The piece is called "Makorra in CoTL Chapter 4 illustration"**

**Chapter 3 - Discovery**

They walked by the long line of ancient stern looking statues. They marveled at the details, and wondered who they were. Ancient leaders of the rival villages? Religious leaders? Spirits? That part of the history was lost.

It felt cool in the tunnels, and it was completely silent.

But the quiet got on both their nerves, "You OK, Mako? I know this is a bit creepy, even though I have this experience deep within me."

"Yes. At least so far, until the wolf bats or badger moles attack us..."

Korra jabbed her boyfriend in his ribs, hard enough for him to wince. Mako realized he had that coming to him. But he did ask a far more serious question.

"How do you know the way, Korra? Katara's Journal said the badger moles changed the tunnels even as they were in them."

"I don't."

He sighed, "Surely you don't believe solely in the 'love will show us the way' legend?"

"Oh but I do, Mako, and you need to also. But I also believe that there are many aspects of our love that we can control to get around in here."

She removed her boots and socks. Mako smiled when he recognized what she had planned, "This is why I love you so."

She snickered, "Didn't I just mention that?"

She took a solid stance, closed her eyes, and stomped the ground hard with her foot, just as Lin had been teaching her. The echoes reached out hundreds of yards in every direction. The subterranean echo was almost too hard to understand, so she had to do it again.

"Oh! Now I get it."

"Get what?"

"We are deep underground. There are tunnels above and below us as well as our level. Echoes outdoors are so much simpler – it's mostly flat. Be quiet. I have to think."

She snuffed her personal flame to concentrate. She kept her eyes closed, stomped a third time and listened intently. Mako could see her mind at work.

Finally Korra stated, "There is something big up several levels. It's not natural. We need to go there first."

Confident with the mental map she now had in her head, she relit her personal flame and they strode off purposefully through wide and small passages, some so small that they had to crawl through, pushing their packs ahead of them.

But as they headed down one wide tunnel, they began to hear noises. Hurting noises. Noises they had never heard before in their lives. As the turned the corner, there before them, partially buried underneath a pile of rubble, was a badger mole.

Mako observed, "I thought they were bigger."

Korra replied seriously, "They are. This is a baby."

He looked at her in shock. The 'baby' was bigger than Naga.

They moved forward, and Korra moved swiftly to bend away rocks uncover the baby badger mole. When they had unearthed the baby, they urged it to move on, but it was injured pretty badly, and whimpered forlornly.

Instinctively, Korra pulled water from a pouch she was carrying.

"Korra, that's your drinking water."

"This is too important."

She touched the baby badger mole to start examining and healing if that were possible, but suddenly a huge avalanche of rock fell beside them. Korra instinctively moved the boulders away from all three of them to the side. It was a massive rockfall, and one huge boulder nearly smashed all of them. She groaned and strained to earth bend it and move it away from them. It fell harmlessly nearby but with a tremendous clatter.

"Whatever caused that must have fallen on the baby," puzzled Mako.

She said cautiously, "I don't think so, Mako..." as she gazed upwardly and seized Mako's waist.

Towering above them was obviously the mother of the baby badger mole. She growled ominously, and sniffed their unfamiliar scents.

Korra took Mako by the arm, "Let's move away from the baby, Mako...slowly."

Sensing a desire to get away, the huge mother badger mole blocked their escape, and silently behind them, they were flanked by an even larger badger mole.

Mako lamented, "Looks like 'Daddy' is here to clean up the scraps. Badger moles are meat eaters."

Korra tried to think fast, desperately trying to look deeper into her past lives to find an Avatar with direct badger mole experience.

Something unconsciously clicked and she urged, "Mako, lie face down on the ground. Move deliberately."

Both were prostrate. She raised both of her arms, and slapped them down hard on the rocks. An echo rang out between her and the moles. The beasts stopped, cocked their heads, and grunted unthreateningly. The mother mole tromped down on her forepaws, sending back an echo response to Korra. It was so intense to Korra's senses that it nearly split her eardrums, and she grabbed her head in pain, "Uuuuh!"

Korra continued to wince, but her echo 'communication' with the moles worked, and the pair could see the moles come out of their attack positions.

She whispered, "Mako, I am going to go to the baby again."

"Are you nuts? They will kill you instantly," he warned.

"No, we just made a connection now, or we'd be dead already. This is something I _have_to do."

Mako said deliberately, "If they make any aggressive move at you, I will have to flame them or use lightning bending."

Korra sighed, "I guess that is the last resort. I think we won't have to do that."

She crawled to the baby, only a few feet away, but it was far too quiet to suit Korra. A low growl came from the mother, but not as intense as before. The baby flinched when Korra touched him. The familiar blue glow of a water tribe healer's touched illuminated Korra as she continued to examine and work on the baby.

Korra said softly to Mako, "There are several broken bones, torn muscles, and some internal bleeding, but I can handle it. They are not too much different from us."

"My girlfriend: the veterinarian," deadpanned Mako.

She smiled and bit back a laugh while whispering, "Shut up Mako, you're distracting me. Remind me to smack you if we live through this."

Something like a sigh came from the baby badger mole. He gingerly stood up, shook the remaining dirt off himself, trotted over to his mother, and rubbed his head against her paw, as if nothing had ever been wrong. The mother turned, inched forward, and nuzzled Korra. The great beast sounded like it was purring.

Mako joked, "Oh great. Now that you have a pet, who's going to clean the litter box for that thing?"

Korra nearly totally lost her composure, and said through gritted teeth, "Shut...up...City boy! You are really gonna get it. Maybe even from Mother Mole herself..."

But inwardly she loved his humor, touched his sleeve tenderly, and knew it was just to keep them from panicking. She felt so very lucky to have him. Mako smirked.

The huge father badger mole pushed Korra and Mako upright, and moved them along behind the mother and baby. She was creating a new tunnel as they went forward, filling the tunnel they had intended to travel from her echo location. They were at the total mercy of the badger mole family now.

The pair was still on the ragged edge of panic, even though the badger moles seemed to mean them no harm. The mother broke through into a new tunnel.

There before them was clearly a man-made rock sculpture, hewn with columns and ornate arches, with an open circular entrance.

Korra had to drop her personal flame again and grasp Mako's arm tightly. Her head was spinning.

The flame-lit real world dissolved into swirling sepia tone images exactly replicating the scene, but in this sudden new vision that gripped her, the entrance was sealed. Korra watched as Appa, desperate to get out of the cave tunnel maze, knocked the circular portal open.

**_"Aang, this isn't the exit..."_**said a young teenage girl's voice.

Korra realized it was Katara at age 14. How sweet and delicate she looked then. No wonder Aang was attracted to her from the start.

_**"No...it's a tomb,"**_Aang stated flatly in the vision.

Korra was amazed at how very young and high-pitched Aang's voice sounded.


	4. Chapter 4 - Determination

My artist friend awkwardsauce's signature color sketch entitled "Makorra in the Cave of Two Lovers" on her Deviant Art site captures the crux of this story so well!

**Chapter 4 – Determination **

Mako had experienced enough of Korra's mid-stride spirit visions with Aang that seized her more often now that he caught her before she fell, eased her to a squatting position as her gaze was locked at infinity straight forward, and steadied her. He would be there for her until she came out of it. Avatars seemed to be so helpless while visioning, that he never wanted to be far from her whenever it happened from now on. Mako made a mental promise that he had to buy a copy of Katara's book on the 'History of the Avatar' from the local 'Wan Shi Tong's Bookseller'.

Oblivious to the help Mako was providing, Korra's view of Aang and Katara's experience in the tomb continued.

She, like them, was awed by the 50 plus foot statues of Oma and Shu kissing, and listened intently to Katara's narration, mesmerized almost as much as Aang by the cute lilt in her voice and her translation of the story. It was more vivid to hear the young Katara narrating it than reading it in her Journal. It was like second nature, and in fact Korra grinned inwardly that she was in fact reliving this. This 'past lives' aspects of being the Avatar was incredible. Tenzin was right; it wasn't all about the fighting.

The vision didn't quit with the Oma and Shu legend's end. She was witnessing the first awkward steps to Katara and Aang's first little kiss. Katara's journals were vague in what really happened, other than confirming that it did.

**_"Well...what if we kissed?" _**suggested a very young Katara.

Korra smirked, seeing how bold her old mentor really was with her future husband. Korra guessed that Water Tribe women possessing 'hot blood' for their men was a common Southern Water Tribe trait, thinking also of her mother's stories about wooing Tonraq. That deserved a 'girls only' chat when next the three got together over tea. Korra smirked knowing she had her own story – and secrets – to tell now.

**_"Ummm. Us...kissing."_**, Aang dreamily said to Katara.

At that, Korra sat up ramrod straight. She was feeling sensually excited in her own lower body...and looked at Aang's pants in the vision. It was obvious what was going on.

She smirked and said aloud, "Oh my goodness, Aang! You little pervert! You _want _her."

Hearing Korra's exclamation, for a moment, Mako had the urge to pull her out of the vision. But, he reassured himself, it was only a vision. Then he worried about how spirits and people could actually interact with each other in the spirit world.

_"I have so much to learn about the Avatar," _thought Mako as he shook his head.

Reliving all the other misunderstood intentions between Aang and Katara, Korra smiled and laughed aloud, making Mako continue to wonder just exactly what she was experiencing, but he said nothing.

But when Korra thought hard about all the mistakes between Katara and Aang, she wondered if her beginnings with Mako at age 17 were really any less awkward than Katara and Aang's gentle start as very young teens?

She saw the vision all the way through to the end. Katara and Aang left the tomb after pondering the lovers' statue inscription 'Love is Always Brightest in the Dark'. Korra felt Aang's despondency of that first missed opportunity to kiss, but felt the excitement build back between them later on.

Aang said gloomily to Katara, **_We're gonna run out of light any second now, aren't we?_**

Katara responded, **_"I think so..."_**

Aang asked anxiously, **_"Then what are we gonna do?"_**

**_"What can we do?" _**Katara said to Aang in near desperation.

But as Korra watched the two teens lean into each other as the light disappeared, Korra knew that the young lovers finally had the nerve to kiss in the dark.

Korra blushed as she felt the warmth and thrill of Katara's lips on Aang's and his reaction, and felt she was invading a private moment between them. But Aang was showing Korra this highly personal moment about them for a reason. Korra had to see it through. The vision was so vivid that Korra felt Aang's post-kiss tingle from head to toe. It was exactly what Korra experienced with Mako. She was not so different than her predecessor. It gave her great relief that so great an Avatar was really no more special or human than her.

And then, through the vision, Korra saw the secret that Katara omitted from her Journals. Crystals imbedded in the cavern ceilings began to glow brightly above Katara and Aang, illuminating the path ahead to escape the caves. It was a miracle.

Finally, Korra's vision began to swirl and fade, but not before she watched Katara and Aang following the glowing crystals to the exit, with the final look of Aang wistfully watching the love of his life run down the lighted passageway.

Korra thought they were so sweet together. She loved and admired her predecessor and his life mate. A peaceful and gentle man was the right person for the World at War then. And there was no better future partner for him than Katara. She pondered, _"Who in history but Katara ever loved and served two Avatars?"_

...

Korra snapped back to the real world, her eyes flashed full open, and she exclaimed, "Mako! The crystals! _That's_ the secret! That's what Katara didn't want the world to ever know. But _we _do!"

Mako shook his head in ignorance, "Crystals? What crystals?"

Korra pointed to the top of the tomb, "They're embedded in the ceiling and the tunnels. They'll show us the way out. When Katara and Aang kissed, the energy of their love caused the crystals to glow as their torches burned out, and they escaped the maze and the curse! All we have to do is douse our hand lights, kiss, and the crystals will light up the trail out of this endless maze."

They did, and they ran to the entrance of the tomb. It was still pitch black in the tunnels in all directions.

"Something isn't working. Kiss me again," urged Korra.

"Gladly!" agreed Mako heartily.

She punched him, "This_ isn't_ funny!"

He leaned into her, and whispered, "Neither is _this."_

He enveloped Korra in his arms and smothered her with an intense kiss which was much deeper than any he had ever given her before. She nearly fainted.

They could sense a glow behind them in the tomb sanctuary. It was in the statues, not in the ceiling.

The crystals lit up within the statues in the darkness, revealing a very a very different scene than Korra had seen in her vision with Aang. It was a more mature image of Oma and Shu, one unseen by Aang and Katara over 70 years ago. The two lovers from the legend were nude and bound tightly in a passionate embrace. Oma was straddled across the lap of Shu with her legs entwined tightly behind Shu's back in a sitting position. They were sharing a very intense kiss. This clearly was the natural progression of kissing while kneeling.

On the floor of the tomb, a circle of light glowed in between the statues and the lovers' crypts.

Even in the dark, Korra and Mako felt each other's blush.

"Korra, what is this telling us?" gulped Mako.

"I don't know Mako. I think we've been invited to um...er..." stammered Korra.

Mako interrupted, "I can _see_ that, but why? Wouldn't doing that profane their memorial? Shouldn't we just follow the crystal light out like you said? Where is that light, anyway?"

Korra tried to make sense of it all, "We both saw there are no passageway crystals. No, Mako, if we do this, we'll see what Oma and Shu truly meant by 'Love is brightest in the dark.' Aang and Katara never saw this since they walked away from the statues after messing up their first kiss. They still loved each other, but their kiss, so near the exit tunnel, turned on the crystals. Maybe the spirits of Oma and Shu knew they were just starting to love each other and didn't show them this. They certainly weren't ready for this kind of relationship."

Mako raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Now you're creepin' me out, girl. The lovers' spirits are still _here?_ And they _know_ how mature a couple's love is?"

Korra shrugged, "I don't know. All I know is that we should do as we have been shown. Or we will _die_ here from the curse."

Mako snickered, "Umm, well...I guess you don't have to ask me twice. But this is certainly the _strangest _place we've done this."

Korra tugged on his scarf as she removed it first, flipped it in his face, and teased, "You _love_ the adventure, and you _know _it."

He smiled, happy to admit she was totally correct.

They went to the lighted circle and kneeled, nervous but excited at the same time, having a vague feeling almost like they were being watched. They sat across from each other like the statues and started pecking each other without embracing, almost like a children's kissing game.

But they were just warming up.


	5. Chapter 5 - Enlightenment

**We finish the story today, Christmas Eve, with something I hope you will find satisfying for our three couples - Makorra, Kataang, and Omashu.**

**Chapter 5: Enlightenment**

They reached for each other, wrapping their arms around each other's necks, and pulled closely together, still kneeling. The kissing intensified. They left their garments scattered around them as they became more and more lost in their desires.

The first time loving this way was a bit awkward in places, and they giggled a little finding their way, especially in the darkness, barely highlighted by the crystals around them. As Korra moved further up into his lap, they both shuddered with the incredible intensity of the new feeling of oneness.

The sounds of their love echoed throughout the chamber. They were breathless in their rhythm, and at the peak of their feelings for each other, they completely let go, and the echoes filled the corridors. Love between them had never been more fulfilling.

As they calmed, they had no desire to separate. It just continued to feel too good.

In a panting whisper pressed tightly against her lover, Korra barely managed to say, "Mako...that was...um..."

"Yes it was..." he smiled as he ran his fingers from her hair to her navel, caressing everything in between. She moved with his caresses to heighten his – and her - feelings.

Something around them started to happen.

"Mako, it's getting lighter."

All around them the room began to glow in the ghostly blue-green light. Not just the ceiling as in the vision. The walls, the floors, the crypts, and everything else started to glow in the chamber. Soon they were bathed in crystal-generated light almost as bright as the day.

Fully illuminated, they saw the natural beauty of each other as they were still tangled together, wanting even more not to move at the sight. She tightened her legs around him, and he smiled contentedly.

"Do you think that I_ really_ want to _go _anywhere, Korra?" Mako snickered, savoring her completely wrapped around and joined with him.

She blushed, but admitted happily, "We _did_ it, didn't we Mako?"

He grinned at her, "I always did say that you could light up a room wherever you went, Korra."

She punched him playfully.

"How long do you think it will last, Korra?" Mako mused

And then a look of panic crossed her face, "I have _no_ idea! Quickly, Mako 'Love will show us the way'. Come on, grab your clothes and let's find the way out right now!"

She separated gently, but then both were in a frenzy to grab their clothes and start running hand in hand down the corridors that were lighting the way out brightly. They had no idea how long or how far they'd go.

They ran for what felt like forever and the crystals were in fact starting to fade.

They reached a huge pile of rock and debris. She sensed that there was a slight breeze coming through the jumbled mass of tons boulders.

"The exit, Mako! We made it!" They hugged and Mako twirled her around above him, not caring still that they were still both naked. The feeling was exciting. They kissed, and then again, only harder.

But she had to break it off, "Not now, Mako. Time again for that later. I have to earth bend us out of here."

Mako wagged his finger at her, "Not like that you aren't," and they both guffawed, finally realizing their condition.

Not only that, but in their haste, they didn't have time to clean up. The running didn't help.

"We're a mess," Mako said with a satisfied wink.

"Not for long," Korra asserted as she rolled her eyes at his male pride.

She proceeded to water bend them completely clean and grinned, "Now get dressed."

With a look of disbelief, "I had no idea that was even possible."

"Anything wet you can water bend," she said sarcastically.

She just smiled and got dressed, and ready to move the rocks. Mako dawdled at dressing, admiring the sight of Korra instead. As before, she didn't try to move a huge pile of rocks - only a narrow crawlspace.

As they emerged into what was dusk at the Memorial Park, Naga greeted them, and reserved a big slurp for her human. Their reunion was a very happy one - they had survived.

Not far from the memorial, they camped for the night, caught a few squirrel-hares and roasted them over an evening fire. They were famished, having had nothing to eat in the caves.

They were both snuggled up together closely and leaned against Naga's soft fur as the fire burned cheerily, while they thought about the past two days. Her head was on his shoulder and she had her arms wrapped securely around his arm and held his hand.

"Wonder how the little badger mole is doing?" sighed Korra, "Thanks to him, we found Oma and Shu's tomb so much faster."

Mako observed, "And managed to not be crushed and eaten by his parents, too. It all needs to remain sealed, though, Korra, even though we rediscovered it. The Cave of the Two Lovers is our secret now, just like Aang and Katara. People will just defile it, if they ever find out what the real crystal secret is. Master Katara was right to keep it a mystery, even though she didn't realize what the real secret actually was."

Korra sighed, "I suppose you are right. Such a wonderful, strong love they had, Mako. Do you suppose our love will ever be like Oma and Shu's or Aang and Katara's?"

"It already is," announced Mako with conviction.

With that, she snuggled tighter against his side, but got a sly grin on her face, swung and spread her legs quickly across his lap, with mischief in mind.

With a pleased grin, Mako noted, "I'm not so sure I'll ever want to do this any other way, now."

"Me too, Mako."

In only a short while later when their cries of happiness rang out against the night skies, far below and unseen by them, deep in the caverns, in a tomb one once again empty of life, the crystals, in sync with Korra and Mako's climax, came to full brightness again.

Somewhere between the real and spirit worlds, the immortal souls of Oma and Shu were delighted that a devoted young couple – no less than the Avatar herself and her life partner - had found their memorial as the Avatar before had done, and had loved deep in the cavern like they did so many wonderful times before. The ancient first earth benders felt once again fulfilled for the first time in centuries, and blessed Korra and Mako on their World journey...


End file.
